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Nestor Aparicio

From Cleveland…the evidence!

Nestor Aparicio

In our eternal quest to bring you EXACTLY what’s going on with the Ravens, we’ve decided to allow wnsTV to paint the picture. I can go through my "overall" observations later in the week — I don’t think they’ll improve after yesterday’s debacle — but for now, check out wnsTV’s "two-part" series on my day in Cleveland. Part 1 is here… Part 2 is here… You can hear everything I was thinking AS I was thinking it. And I didn’t think many "good" thoughts. It was a whitewashing, no matter what the final statistics tell you. The Ravens were never in the game. Mistakes in the secondary. Turnovers. Penalties. Missed field goals. When you lose in Cleveland — and especially in a blowout — you KNOW there are plenty of fingers to point and plenty of bodies to point at. The radio station will be full of it for 14 hours per day this week. But this is what I was thinking and how my day went on the shores of Lake Erie.

Baseball pennant watching on Friday night…

Nestor Aparicio

So, the name "Cecil Cooper" flashed on the bottom of my hi-def ESPN screen, as I’m watching the 4th inning of the Padres-Brewers game  tonight. I’ve been doing Red Sox-Twins, Orioles-Yankees all night, but an HD ballgame involving my Aunt Jane’s Padres caught my fancy about 20 minutes ago. (I’m gonna throw on my Padres old-school, mustard and puke brown lid to combat what the Brewers have done tonight!) Today, Cecil Cooper was named "permanent" managers of the Houston Astros. Funny, right now, the Milwaukee Brewers are wearing Cecil Cooper’s uniform from 1982. Seems that for the biggest game in several decades in the great midwestern city of Milwaukee, the Brewers decided to go "throwback" to the only thing they have to throw back to — our pain of the autumn of 1982. Not to geez on you, but when I see that crazy cartoon glove and ball and that blue and bright yellow — maybe the greatest baseball logo of all time — I think of Cecil Cooper, Bernie Brewer, Harvey’s Wallbangers and Ben Oglivie. And Pete "F-ing" Vuckovich and the whole band of those Shotz-drinking pirates from Laverne & Shirley-ville. Cecil Cooper signed my first baseball, one that

Help me clarify Tejada’s stance…

Nestor Aparicio

So it’s Friday night, and I’m surfing baseball games, eating tacos, the usual drill… Ray Bachman just called and swears that Miguel Tejada was on the MASN "Oriole Pre-Game" show and told Gary Thorne that he wouldn’t consider playing third base and that’s he’s "not a DH." He said he’s a SHORTSTOP and made it very clear. He says the "T" word might’ve even been uttered… Anyone see this too? Sorry, but watching the MASN pre-game show isn’t on my TV list most nights and it’s kinda weird that MASN would let this on the air? When Tejada batted in the first inning, right around the time of the Brian Roberts rundown, Gary Thorne and Buck Martinez made no mention of it. Strange? Try out the new "COMMENTS" bar below to help me out. I went to MASN’s cruddy website and there was no video there. No one on the web boards seems to be writing about it… Hmmmm??? A little help… (Maybe Ray is playing an April Fools Day joke on me today???)

Random Thoughts…

Nestor Aparicio

Been a few days since I’ve blogged… So, in no particular order: * I really had a great time on Monday night at Free The Birds 2. Even though my attorney has advised me to NOT share the videos from Monday night, rest assured they will pop up at some point, somewhere. Just the still photos of how EMPTY the stadium was would be astonishing. There were not 2,000 people in the stadium Monday night. * It’s amazing how MASN shoots the Orioles games and you’d "almost" not know how empty it is down there. * The Ray Lewis-Jamal Lewis matchup this Sunday is intriguing. You must admit: through three games, Ray Lewis looks more like the No 52 of 1999 than the one from 2005. I’m wondering if he can play like this for 16 weeks, but Ray Lewis is one special football player! * Am I a pervert, or does the fact that Tina Louise being in town mean something to you, too? Nothing wrong with Mary Ann (and I did meet her once at the Harford Mall with Gilligan and the Professor), but at heart I’m a "Ginger" guy. * The Van Halen reunion gets sorta local

Baltimore Sun covers Free The Birds with silence…so far!

Nestor Aparicio

So, the rally is tonight and The Baltimore Sun — apparently, trembling in the wake of King Peter — has chosen to conveniently  "ignore" the existence of Free The Birds 2. Hmmmm….last year we had more than 2,000 people that they reported as "about 1,000" — and they couldn’t get enough of "The  Rally" the day AFTER the event. Rick Maese wrote a pre-rally piece, and actually encouraged people to attend. Peter Schmuck has alluded to The Rally several times over the past 52 weeks. Roch Kubatko, who also "moonlights" as a frequent contributor to our radio competitor and MASN, and David Steele were "conscientious objectors." Apparently, they were "in Canada" during last year’s rally. So, on the tail-end of yet another completely embarrassing summer of baseball, we decided to see if anyone still cares enough to protest this colossal disgrace going on in our community: * the decay of the downtown business community on gamenights and the economic damage done to the community * the overrunning of the city by Boston and New York fans, and the lack of "civic pride" Baltimore fans have in the Orioles * the 10-plus years of pathetic baseball and "off the field" shenanigans

More FREE THE BIRDS 2 details for Monday…

Nestor Aparicio

After handing out FREE THE BIRDS signs at the Ravens game today, I feel a little better about our chances of having a legitimate "crowd" Monday night. Many, many people were very encouraging with their kind words about "not giving up the fight." And many people told me they’d "see me tomorrow." I hope every WNST supporter and true Orioles lover will consider coming downtown on a beautiful night for September baseball and spend the $9 to join our crusade to try to save Baltimore baseball from more tyranny with this lousy ownership group. That said, I don’t expect that we’ll get 40,000 FTB people tomorrow night, but again, the head count just doesn’t matter to me this year. I just want to support the local downtown businesses, send my message, allow others to send their message and have a little fun at a baseball game. The number one question: "What do you have planned, specifically, for the game?" The answer: "I have no plan!" Other than a peaceful demonstration, I have no "desire" or "structure" for tomorrow night’s protest, other than to let the management know that we’re still here, and we’re still watching, and we STILL know that

Watching the ‘only’ race…

Nestor Aparicio

So, for the Orioles, the race is on. What race? The only one they’re in — the one for sole possession of LAST PLACE in Major League Baseball. C’mon? Are you gonna pretend you’re not following it, too? The Orioles are 65-87, good enough for a .428 win percentage and second-to-last place. Tampa Bay is 63-90 and .412. Two and a half games with 10 days left? Well, let’s look at the "matchups." The O’s have 3 with Texas, 1 with Kansas City (and an angry fanbase), 3 with Toronto and 3 with the Yankees. The Rays have 3 with Boston, 3 with New York and 3 with Toronto. I dunno, maybe the Red Sox/Texas thing is a wash at this point, right? I watch the Sox most nights and they really stink right now. No doubt that Pittsburgh, Florida, Chicago and Kansas City are a factor for the basement with 66 wins. And Houston and San Francisco feel pretty "safe" at this point with 67 wins, but bad IS bad, right? Oh, and the Washington Nationals — while putrid — are safe from harm with 68 wings going into the final 10 days of the season, thanks of course

A great weekend of Baltimore sports…

Nestor Aparicio

Of course, I’m just as curious as you as to see who is as angry as we are and willing to "give up" a Monday night to come down to Oriole Park to give the Angelos family their 2007 report card. But before our FTB2 "Free Pete" on Monday, there’s a lot of sports action to catch. First up for me, is the Towson-Delaware football game on Saturday night. I hope some of you join us at the Greene Turtle in Towson for some happy hour cocktails around 4ish. If you’ve never been to a Towson football game, you should give it a try tomorrow evening. The kickoff is at 6 p.m., the tailgating is great and the weather should be glorious! Bring the family! (As a side note: My son, Barry, turns 23 — yes, TWENTY THREE YEARS OLD — tomorrow, and will be celebrating with us at the Towson football game. For some of the "oldtimers" at WNST, that might be as hard to comprehend as it is for me! Gawd, I’m so OLD!!!) Then, on Sunday of course, it’s back to the purple palace for the Matt Leinart show. It’s hard for me to accept that the

FREE THE BIRDS 2 UPDATE…

Nestor Aparicio

As you can imagine, putting together Free The Birds 2 has been very interesting. It’s hard to find support for a protest of the Orioles when a 12-0 loss to the once-hated New York Yankees brings this response: “Yawn… “Pass the purple Kool aid.” We had more than 2,000 at the first FREE THE BIRDS event last Sept. 21. All of the evidence and much of the spirit of the event was captured all over youtube. Click here to view a video. A few FAQs: 1.    The tickets are $9 and we’re trying to get seats in the left field upper deck, just like last year. Apparently, it’s a “Dugout Club” night, so keep in mind that families are encouraged to attend FTB2 as well. YES…it’s a family event! 2.    Why are we doing this? To raise awareness to the disgraceful way the Orioles have conducted business in Baltimore over the last decade so that perhaps someday a change in ownership will take place. 3.    Is there a meeting place? We think that EVERY bar near Camden Yards is a great place to grab a pre-game libation. We are partial to Maggie Moore’s, Camden Pub and Edgar’s, because they’ve been

Baseball tonight…

Nestor Aparicio

So with Free The Birds on my brain and baseball on my mind, my wife and I settled in to watch some hardball tonight… Currently, it’s tight. Red Sox down a run, Yankees up on the Orioles, with the brooms swinging… And I’m just thinking, and when I’m thinking, I’m blogging… * What’s it like to be an Oriole player tonight, in the midst of Yankee Stadium on a September night? The park is full, the home team — given up for DEAD three months ago — is within breathing distance of the hated Red Sox, Andy Pettite’s on the hill and the joint is rocking. And then, on Monday, they’ll come home to find a near empty stadium, and the few of us there will include a contingent that is coming to the park to protest the same ownership that many of them realize has screwed the whole thing up here. If you’re Brian Roberts or Miguel Tejada or ANYONE on the team this is how it goes: Tonight, baseball is a joy to play… On Monday and all of next week, they’ll play in front of an empty stadium every night…NOT fun! And then the Yankees fans will

FREE THE BIRDS IS SET FOR MONDAY NIGHT!!!

Nestor Aparicio

We’re doing FREE THE BIRDS 2 on Monday night at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Which begs the question: Why? Not to be coy, but WHY NOT? Honestly, are they not worthy of protesting? Do you think anything has gotten better in the last 12 months? We’re gonna send out a text, send out emails to the more than 2,000 people who signed up on www.freethebirds.net, send out our newsletter to about 10,000 people and talk about it a little bit on the radio this week and hope that the internet and email folks spread the word a little bit. This little website had 23,350 unique visitors last Tuesday and has been averaging about 15,000 people per day. This website had 1,177,950 hits last Tuesday. This website has had 103,431 unique visitors in the last seven days totaling 4,925,431 hits. I think the word will get out… Let’s be honest: we’ve got about five days to get the word out, which, honestly is probably all it will take. Everyone who WANTS to walk in, walk out, scream like hell, sport a FTB T-shirt, wear bags on their heads, etc., will know about Free The Birds 2 and the hastily arranged

We sweat it out a bit there at the end…

Nestor Aparicio

But, in the end, the Ravens won and truly dominated the game. Of course, when the Jets were marching toward the Inner Harbor and a tie game — and if not for some butterfingers and a Ray Lewis tip-drill savior, it might have happened — it didn’t matter that the Jets only had 100 yards of offense through the first three quarters. All that mattered was the scoreboard, and the Jets got quite resourceful in that department late into the afternoon. The botched possession at the three minute mark… The field goal Matt Stover missed… The strange instant replay touchdown the Jets were gifted… And the one Todd Heap scored that was nearly negated… I guess the point is: it was closer than it should’ve been and that makes anyone in a purple sweater a bit nervous, and perhaps, a bit skeptical about just how good the 2007 Ravens are going to be. In the end, it was Ray Lewis saving day (there’s a very cool video coming in my wnsTV blog…should arrive on Monday at some point!). But the game and the victory didn’t come without some casualties. The Trevor Pryce wrist injury is going to be a factor.

Does anybody notice that the Orioles are a disgrace?

Nestor Aparicio

I was in Chicago all day yesterday, kinda taking a day "off" and enjoying the Second City. A little White Sox baseball with a Jim Thome 500-HR theme (a wnsTV presentation is coming soon), a little Lake Michigan, a little band called Wilco (you should check them out!), etc. I got back to my hotel room last night and saw that the Orioles gave up 18 more runs last night. What’s shocking about the Orioles now isn’t that they GIVE UP 18 runs — it’s that I’m not the LEAST bit surprised it happened. Hell, they might give up 21 more tonight, who knows? But, in general, the incredibly sad part of this entire equation is that the Orioles organization and ownership aren’t even embarrassed by it any more. And the few fans who are left don’t even get up in arms anymore. It’s like standard operating procedure — losing and disgrace! Daniel Cabrera is a mess, another "prospect" who looks bewildered in this organization. Geez, I wonder how Leo Mazzone, who spent 14 years in Atlanta going to the playoffs every year, feels about this place. The road is LITTERED with baseball people who would say that the worst

Another crappy night in Cincinnati…

Nestor Aparicio

Aside from all of the obvious stuff — much of which will be covered in my forthcoming video blog of the trip here to The ‘Nati —  I’m back in my hotel room and I gotta tell you: I hate this place. Hordes of drunks yelling "Who dey" at the top of their lungs on every corner. Another blown game in Southern Ohio. But the worst part is the lousy residue remaining from this season-opening train wreck. Enough turnovers to lose two games. Injuries up and down the roster — and virtually every one of them in key positions. And, of course, the 0-1 start on a short week and loss to a division opponent that puts the Ravens in the basement for the time being with the lowly Cleveland Browns. Yeah, it could’ve been a WHOLE lot better tonight. Let’s start with the injuries because they will be the recurring issue facing the Ravens not just next week, but for the next 16 weeks. Tonight’s game at Paul Brown Stadium was a virtual "body bag" game. Jon Ogden: Is he gonna play or is this one giant mistake, him coming back to attempt to play when it’s pretty clear

My bags are packed for Cincinnati…

Nestor Aparicio

The only thing worse than hearing Keith Olbermann doing highlights is listening to Bob Costas laugh at Olbermann doing highlights. This NBC wrapup show is almost unwatchable with the smirk of Olbermann now combined with Cris Collinsworth’s smarm. I’m generally a Costas fan. The more he plays it straight, the more I like watching him because he’s brilliant. And I think Peter King is the best in the business. I also think Tiki Barber and Jerome Bettis might be the best "player" combo I’ve seen anywhere on my TV set today. But Olbermann? Why didn’t they just bring in Rush Limbaugh to hang out too? And put Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders in so I can be thoroughly annoyed? Sheesh… On to my thoughts: * I hope Jon Ogden’s toe is right for the Ravens. I worry for the team in general this season, because 13-3 is just not realistic for any team. You almost MUST have good luck and good health to be 13-3. Expectations are high — as it should be — but things went so well last year for the purple. Just keep an eye on injuries. It would be very difficult for the Ravens to win

Watching the NFL on TV…

Nestor Aparicio

I spent the first half of the 1 p.m. games at a local watering hole, enjoying several of the NFL games. It’s Week 1 and the NFL is just so infectious. It’s a lot of fun to watch today. I didn’t even remember the Orioles were playing until about 3:50, right before they gave up the winning run to the Red Sox. So, some thoughts: * WOW…are the Browns just horrendous. Not only was the game just dreadful (and any Steelers win is dreadful by my standards), but the corporate goobers at CBS/Channel 13 left this horrible game on while the Dolphins-Skins, Jags-Titans and Broncos-Bills went down to the wire. It was like an "open invitation" for me to watch the Eagles-Packers game. I know they had tennis coming, but IT’S THE NFL…GET IT RIGHT! No one…NO ONE…wanted to watch a 31-7 blowout! * Eagles-Packers was a decent game. Neither team looked much like a playoff contender, but the game was exciting right ’til the end. * CBS’ pre-game show is dreadful. Dan Marino, Shannon Sharpe and Boomer Esiason are unwatchable. I’m done for the season with that pre-game show. * ESPN’s "Chris Berman-led thing" is much-improved, especially without Michael

For Orioles, the floor has no bottom it seems…

Nestor Aparicio

For Dave Trembley to have to sit on the press conference pulpit and "protect" Daniel Cabrera in the postgame last night was an absolute embarrassment to him and the entire organization. At least I’m not the only one who will feel this way. I don’t need to tell you what a disgrace the whole incident at Oriole Park at Camden Yards was last night. Peter Angelos’ employees did it for me, via MASN. Below are parts of the postgame show, which was classic in that EVERY single voice we heard from is a direct employee of Peter G. Angelos, via the Orioles and/or MASN (they’re basically one and the same). Jim Hunter: "It’s their 11th straight loss at home, which ties the record set in September 1987. Only four base hits tonight, and another frustrating loss to the Red Sox. Rick Dempsey: "There’s a lot of indecision out there tonight, a lot of confusion about what they’re supposed to do at certain points of the game and, overall, a lot of frustration about he outcome of everything that’s happening right there. It just added up to another ugly loss out there tonight. It was kinda sad to see the way

Nestor’s brain…on football!

Nestor Aparicio

RUNNING BLOG TONIGHT…best to start at the bottom! 11:08 — I give up. I hate the Colts. A disgusting night all the way around. Indy is up 34-10. There would be nothing worse than losing to them again. Too much to bear or even consider at this hour…I’m going to bed! 10:37 — Geez. I go away, come back and it’s Indy, 17-10. And what’s worse? Second play, BOOM, touchdown Colts. It’s 24-10. Sleep is suddenly an option worth considering. I ended LAST year watching the Colts win. I sure as hell don’t want to begin a weekend full of Red Sox fans and a trip to Cincinnati with a Colts victory. It’s been a bad night. 10:29 — How is it possible that we can PREDICT these meltdowns and they actually HAPPEN? It’s just freaky — unreal, really — how they continue to lose games in such a painful fashion. This has been the most painful team in Oriole history. It’s just sad! A Baltimore stadium full of Red Sox fans streaming into the streets downtown right now, all happy, celebrating a 9th-inning rally that felt routine in its precision and nonchalance. And Hunter and Dempsey look constipated right

In case you’re wondering what downtown looks like…

Nestor Aparicio

Tonight the Red Sox Nation has once again descended upon my home and are surrounding Oriole Park at Camden Yards like cockroaches just after the lights are switched on at midnight. So, in case you missed it on wnsTV a few weeks ago, I’ll hook you up with some links to what the Peter Angelos regime has become, circa summer 2007. THIS IS MUST SEE TV IF YOU ARE A PROUD BALTIMOREAN. This should NEVER happen here…NEVER!!! If you love Peter Gabriel and "Red Rain" you can click here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=VwaYjOtkY-A If Neil Diamond is your thing, click here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ncI_BgpCwxg If the BAND Boston is your thing… http://youtube.com/watch?v=TX-67NhGywk And, finally, for the sentimentalists… http://youtube.com/watch?v=oPU4B1daUJA

Another call to FREE THE BIRDS…

Nestor Aparicio

At the end of my interview with Brian Billick last night at Looney’s Pub in Bel Air, I was approached by a very stern, yet angry man who wanted to discuss FREE THE BIRDS with me. He was ADAMANT that we should’ve walked out on the franchise one more time this season. I wholeheartedly AGREED with him. We SHOULD have done a FREE THE BIRDS event at some point in the last two weeks! There’s NO doubt in my mind! But as I told him, it takes more than two angry people to create a stir and motivate people to understand the significance of baseball to this community and to downtown Baltimore. My original date for FTB2 — selected when the schedule came out last winter — was Wednesday, Aug. 22. By now, you know that the Orioles surrendered 30 runs that night in the first game of a doubleheader. It was also the first game they played after Bill Hagy’s death. It was also the first game of Dave Trembley’s "permanent" (insert joke here) stay as manager of the Orioles. When I put out the last "APB" for FTB2 (and I suppose you can thank Matt Wieters for buckling

Add a no-hitter to the O’s 2007 resume

Nestor Aparicio

So, if a 30-3 beatdown didn’t upset your stomach… And if an 11-run inning and a Camden Yards sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays didn’t send you to drive the porcelain bus… And if a pair of nine-game losing streaks didn’t exactly make history… TONIGHT, the 2007 Orioles added a "Peter Angelos ego-sized" mark on the history books: tonight they were no-hit by a kid making his second appearance in a major league game and it was done at Fenway Park, which other than for the facade, will look very similar to the crowd here in Baltimore next weekend as the Red Army invades the Inner Harbor one more time. I could write more or vomit more about no hitters and history — blah, blah, blah. I’m just dying to hear how the organization is going to spin this offseason after watching a few weeks of "hope" turn into another never-ending black hole. Will it ever end? And does anyone in Baltimore even care that it’s this bad and shouldn’t be? A few random thoughts: Gary Thorne MUST be in trouble for calling the end of the game tonight as if it were the Orioles throwing

Ray Lewis’ agent and WNST…

Nestor Aparicio

Just got done listening to Marc Rosen’s call in to Drew on Thursday morning in our audio vault. If nothing, it provided great comedy, this fool calling in to try to make a fool of Drew, only to find out rather quickly that he’s in over his head. The dude brought it on himself by bending the truth, back-peddling and saying things that were almost silly. And Drew kinda effortlessly — almost inadvertently — pulled his pants down! (Not that I need to have ANY of my hosts’ backs — they’re ALL GREAT and beautiful in their own way — but Drew isn’t just some "schmuck" on the radio in the mornings. He’s done sports media relations, sports marketing, sports scouting, sports hiring/firing/waiving/trading/cutting/drafting and ticket sales and promotions at a VERY high level since he was 19 years old! Plus, by being from Glen Burnie and knowing Charlie Eckman from "a kid up," he’s been able to spot a bull—–er from a mile away since 1982!) I don’t chime in very often about the "business" side of WNST and if you ask anyone around my place, they’d tell you that it’s ALL I DO here…business, all day, every day of

Who will save the Orioles?

Nestor Aparicio

So, here we go again. New manager, new general manager, new lies that the ownership is selling us — but who’s buying it? I looked into the stadium last night — there MIGHT have been 10,000 people there! Where are the 8,000 unused tickets this morning? Who has possession of those? The Orioles are 14 games under .500 and 21 games out of the first place. I’m sure, during the offseason, these new “mouthpieces” for Peter Angelos will talk about progress and growth and MASN money and young pitching. Blah, blah, blah. The sick results speak the truth — NOTHING has changed in the organization other than who is out in front to tell the lies. (And maybe the bought off media who repeat the lies enough that fools in this town believe them!) And for the second time in a week, the Orioles bullpen — the one they spent more than $40 million on during the last “rebuilding” phase — imploded in biblical fashion. Brian Roberts’ quote in The Sun this morning says it all: “It’s not fun. It’s embarrassing, it’s tiring, it’s not good,” Roberts said. “We’ve been through this too many times. And it’s not a lack

Are the O’s really better than in 2006?

Nestor Aparicio

I can pontificate all day about the Orioles and their decade of ineptitude. Really, I can! But here’s the truth: the MLB standings. Right now, the Orioles are 58-71…a meaty 13 games under .500! Honestly, getting to their "benchmark" of .500 has long been a pipe dream. So, now the question is whether they’ll actually "improve" upon their 70 wins in 2006. They must win 13 of their final 33 games to do this — and at this point, I’m not really sure which way this will go! They have 13 games remaining against the Red Sox and Yankees. My guess is they’ll go 4-9 in those games. They have six left with Tampa Bay. They should go 4-2. They have six left with Toronto. They’ll probably go 2-4. They have three with the Angels, four with the Rangers and one with Kansas City. You know how it goes around here in September. Traditionally, no one watches or cares about them and they lose a LOT of games once football starts. So, can they finish the season strong? Or will they wilt again? Only time will tell. But it’s pretty pathetic that the team will go into the offseason stressing

Tales from couch…

Nestor Aparicio

Billick just called off the dogs… I’m gonna watch the second half sans blogosphere! If you really wanna read this blog, it might be more sensible to start AT THE BOTTOM! I wrote as I watched tonight. No wnsTV travelblog tonight. It was a choppy performance at best. Nine first-half penalties, some missed tackles and mental breakdowns. They’ll have to be better in Cincinnati in two weeks if they wanna start 1-0. The rain, the delays, two games at once on the telly! B.J. Surhoff getting into the Orioles Hall of Fame. Whew…I’m whipped! Happy reading…I’m REALLY, REALLY glad I stayed home tonight! ***************** 10:35 p.m. Pittman has been a magnet for the ball tonight. Ya gotta hate when the fumble goes forward and the wrong guys land on it. The Redskins have had a pretty good run of good fortune here on this drive. This has been a painful drive for the defense and Rex Ryan will be torturing them with this footage, especially the penalties! They should OUTLAW challenges in the preseason! The only thing worse than watching this on TV would be having to get outta that parking lot after the game! BTW: These challenges give me

I stayed home tonight…

Nestor Aparicio

Believe it or not, I had two tickets to the ORIOLES game tonight…and was actually gonna go…until Mother Nature got involved. I was all set to do the Orioles game, tape the Ravens game and watch it later. I was going to do the "Raljon" thing tonight but just thought it wouldn’t be any fun. The parking, the cost, the pain in the ass, the Redskins fans…who needs it? I also travel to EVERY game EVERY year so staying home just once and watching a game on TV is kinda fun. I NEVER get to sit at home and watch the Ravens on TV, so it’s weird. So, we bailed on the Orioles when we saw the radar (two MORE unused tickets!). It’s 8:21 right now. MASN has ESPNews on. MASN2 has the Nationals game on. WJZ (slated for O’s game) has "Ghost Whisperer" on. WBFF (slated for Ravens-Skins) has a low-budget show called "That’s Funny" on. My wife has been watching for 20 minutes, and she hasn’t laughed once. And she laughs at EVERYTHING (she’s married to me!) Going to EITHER of these fiascos would’ve REALLY, REALLY sucked. I’m sitting at home and I can’t get an update as

Paris and Dundalk…

Nestor Aparicio

I’m not sure if this is a "fake" or not… I’ve NEVER seen this shirt, obviously a "spoof" of Disneyland and Dundalk… BUT…Bobby Nyk sent it along and it’s stuff like this that always justifies my friendship with Baltimore’s craziest DJ and washed up referee and coach! So, now appearing at Eastpoint Mall… Dundalk gives you…PARIS HILTON!

Piling on a 30-3 baseball loss…

Nestor Aparicio

I took phone calls and emails all day on Thursday from people who wanted to get me to "snicker" or "sneer" about the Orioles’ biblical 30-3 loss on Wednesday night. Honestly, I just think it’s "one game" and even if I sat around my place "bleeding orange and black," I would still think it’s not all that big of a deal. But the national media couldn’t get enough of the marathon of late-inning scoring and all of the "record-setting" ineptitude. I kinda felt bad for the players and for Dave Trembley (who seems to be a decent guy), to be honest with you. I just hope that wherever Peter Angelos and his "bunkies" were, that they were as MISERABLE as I’ve been for the last decade without a team that in my heart I can support or be proud of. So, if it caused Angelos further pain — or if it leads him to either truly correct the situation or sell the team — then I hope they lose 30-3 EVERY NIGHT! But I don’t think he gives a damn about the team and I don’t think he feels any pain or embarrassment because he’s not a real fan anyway.

Baseball memories winner checks in…

Nestor Aparicio

Dear Nasty,   I’m sending you this email to thank you for recognizing my baseball memory as the winner. I was looking for a forum to let my dad know exactly how much he means and has meant to me throughout my life. WNST provided that forum for me and I greatly appreciate the chance. After hearing from numerous family and friends that I had won and reading my entry on wnst.net, my dad called me and told me he was honored. You gave me the ability to tribute my dad. Thank you.   In Sport We Trust.   Mike Loewe ********************* Hey Mike: To show you how ASTUTE the WNST.net reader is, I got this letter less than an hour after you were awarded the grand prize… Geez…24 years!! Has it been that long??? I would’ve had NO GUESS who hit that ball although I remember the video and the Kittle’s tirade VERY well. And it came up when he came here for his cup of coffee a few years later…I was sitting in the RIGHT FIELD bleachers that day, way up top! Of course, Bob Haynie probably knew RIGHT AWAY that it was Roenicke… Anyway, VERY, VERY soon

The winner of the ‘Baseball Memories’ contest is here…

Nestor Aparicio

It was hard and long and tedious and I NEVER wanna judge another one of THESE again… In the future, we’re gonna LET YOU pick the winner! There were so many GREAT stories — of youth, of teams, of heroes, of Little League, of Cal Ripken, of dads and moms and family — everything you can imagine regarding baseball and its meaning to different people. We got the "full monty" here! We will post many of the best entries here on WNST.net in the next 24 hours. BUT…after MUCH deliberation and debate, we finally have a winner! Mike Loewe submitted this entry and will be heading to Miami for the Ravens-Fish game in early December, courtesy of Miller Lite, Towson Travel and WNST.net: There I was, 13 years old, sitting in the front row of the left field stands. I was 2 seats from the foul pole with my brother and my dad. It was as exciting a game as I had ever been to or have since for that matter. The chants, banging the seats with your hands until they felt like they would fall off, and then banging them some more. I had my plastic Oriole helmet on

Watching the O’s play tonight…

Nestor Aparicio

Where the hell IS everyone??? So they did a "tribute" to Hagy in front of about 5,000 people (or maybe less!) tonight. Erik Bedard is on the hill. He’s the leading candidate to win th Cy Young Award. Tickets to the game are $7!!! THAT’S RIGHT….They’re SEVEN BUCKS!!! Sure, it’s a little chilly (68 degrees at game time), BUT where is EVERYONE???? They must’ve not realized it’s SAMMY SOSA’s (one of five players with 600 or more lifetime jacks!) triumphant return to Baltimore!!!! The ballpark is EMPTY tonight…whew! It looks like April 11th!!! A Cy Young Award candidate, Hagy getting "honored," 1983 prices to get in AND a future Hall of Famer’s return to Baltimore all in the same night for $7!!!! (I guess most of you will not be "lining up" for tomorrow night’s 5 p.m. "twi-night" doubleheader for $12 then?) Miguel Tejada just went yard, it’s 3-zip and you know what? I hope Bedard throws a no-hitter tonight. Would be poetic justice for him to toss a "no-no" en route to a Cy Young Award and getting to celebrate it with the smallest August crowd I’ve ever seen in that ballpark on the night when the greatest fan

Bill Hagy rained on them last night…

Nestor Aparicio

At least I HOPE he and the "big guy" had something to do with it. I find it interesting that Orioles waited for "Wild" Bill Hagy to die to actually do anything to honor him. If they REALLY wanted to "honor" him, they should’ve brought him and 200 of his buddies back EVERY night into Sect. 388 and renamed the Section after him! And sold cheap beer up there! And put him in the "Hall of Fame!" And have a statue of HIM out on the courtyard! But I digress…. If there is a heaven, I hope Hagy steps into the lounge and is heartily greeted with a handshake and a hug by Elrod Hendricks and Cal Ripken Sr., who are waiting to hear what Cal Jr.’s speech REALLY sounded like from the hill in Cooperstown two weeks ago. And wouldn’t the three of THEM dish it, right there in Heaven’s Happy Hour lounge about what the hell happened to our city and baseball? I’d LOVE to be the bartender in THAT lounge! Belanger and McNally would be there, so would Ralph Salvon and Moe Drabowsky and all of the others we’ve lost from our childhood. A nice thought… But

‘Wild’ Bill Hagy was a legend…

Nestor Aparicio

The phone call came at lunchtime from Ray Bachman — word was spreading around town that we had lost "Wild" Bill Hagy. We didn’t want to report it, honestly, until we were sure of the circumstances and we wanted to make sure his family knew before we put it on the radio. But, it’s with great sadness that we report that Bill Hagy died today at the age of 68. I only had two autographs on my 1979 baseball mitt (a Tom Seaver-signed, Rawlings special) — Debbi Roenicke (wife of my favorite Oriole Gary Roenicke) and "Wild" Bill Hagy. My Pop let me run up to Section 34 from Section 10 once in a while, and Bill signed my glove. Over the 15-plus years I’ve been doing this, I’ve bumped into Bill Hagy more times than I can honestly count and he became a dear friend to our radio station. We were, like him, just Baltimore guys who loved Baltimore sports. He is an icon at WNST. His image leading a cheer in Section 34 is the first GIANT photo you see when you walk into WNST’s offices. Without Bill Hagy, there IS no WNST! Bill came to Anniversary shows,

Your Orioles Cy Young candidate at work …

Nestor Aparicio

Erik Bedard has made few friends within the local media, which has now led to a new "national" perspective on his churlish behavior en route to a possible Cy Young Award this fall. Yes, it’s a joy watching him pitch, but apparently he has become a real pain in the ass to deal with for everyone. In this story on ESPN.com, the cat is out of the bag on his asinine behavior toward the media, fans and the like. What gives with these guys? And what gives with the Orioles ALLOWING it? But of course, when your owner is an ass, insulting the fans again and again and encourages his employees to do the same — EVEN WHEN THE FRANCHISE FINALLY GETS IT RIGHT "on the field" — I suppose your star Cy Young candidate can treat people like garbage as well. (Privately, I’m sure the big guys in The Warehouse DELIGHT in his being a jerk to the local media!) Bedard is a Cy Young candidate, but I don’t see the stands filling up on nights when he pitches. I don’t see downtown fully of life and energy and love and commerce, the way we did when Ripken chased

Who’s going to Ravens camp in Westminster today?

Nestor Aparicio

Last chance to head up to Carroll County for purple madness… I’m heading up to shoot some wnsTV. If you’re coming up, stop me and shoot some TV and tell me what you think of the 2007 Ravens so far. I can’t wait for Sunday night! Everytime I see Ravens vs. Giants it brings back those warm memories! I saw John Madden’s tour bus downtown last night en route to Baltimore Magazine’s "Best of" party. A fun video is forthcoming, featuring some great stories, including Steve Geppi’s experience with the Matt Wieters signing yesterday morning. I also got to meet Duff, the cake decorator from "Ace of Cakes." He’s a fabulous dude and even BETTER — a HUGE Ravens fan! I’ll have it on the site within 24 hours! (And if you haven’t seen it yet, please check out the WNST Staff Fantasy Football Draft on the TV side…funny guys we have at WNST! Hope you are having a great start to the weekend!

WOW…Matt Wieters signs with the Orioles!

Nestor Aparicio

Miracles DO exist! The Orioles did something RIGHT…and we’re all celebrating, simply because they DID what they’re SUPPOSED to do — signed their first round draft pick! Can you imagine us having a parade in Baltimore because the Ravens SIGNED their draft pick? Again, they have Matt Wieters and I hope he goes to the Hall of Fame right behind Johnny Bench and Yogi Berra! But their problems extend much further than a catcher from Georgia Tech. But it’s a start. Good for them! I hope the kid doesn’t live to regret bending his demands at the 11th hour. The Orioles have to FIX things for HIM as much as they do for me and you! They’re still seven games under .500, 15 1/2 games behind the Red Sox and in the midst of their 10th straight horrible season. They’re still at war with their own community and fanbase, if scouting director Joe Jordan’s comments in The Sun are any indication. But, again, all they know how to do and want to do is FIGHT with people. Last night, they beat up Scott Boras, and NO ONE is shedding a tear about that around MLB, I assure you! Oriole Magic…feel

A video bet…

Nestor Aparicio

During our weekly sales meeting today, we captured a future bit on wnsTV when Drew Forrester STARTED our meeting by throwing down the gauntlet: "The Orioles WILL sign Matt Wieters by midnight," he bellowed. I quickly pulled $50 out of my pocket — and I NEVER, EVER bet anybody about anything…EVER!!! But, I got 50 clams that says there’s no WAY they’ll sign Wieters before midnight. (Now of course, if Peter Angelos gets a wind of this, he’ll sign him just to cost me $50). Just my two cents…and Drew will be buying me SEVERAL Chinese lunches come 8 a.m. tomorrow when I’m in the studio wagging my finger and telling him, "I told you so!" They’re the Orioles… It’s an easy bet, I think!

Just the facts about Matt Wieters…

Nestor Aparicio

History, it seems, is about to repeat. The Orioles are sliding down the slippery slope of embarrassing themselves and this city and its dwindling baseball fan base once again by not signing Matt Wieters. Tick, tick, tick…it’s almost like a cartoonish-Batmanesque (and I mean Adam West, not Michael Keaton) scene at the end of the First Act. You feel like you know the ending. So close, yet so far away. We’ll see how this plays out. EVERYONE in the national media is already predicting a standstill. Once again, the Orioles will kiss their sister and piss off everyone who’s left who still wears an orange cap if this kid isn’t signed. But isn’t that the business they seem to be in? Pissing us off and letting us down and embarrassing us so deeply and painfully that when 40,000 Red Sox fans take over the entire city we’re NUMB to it. Like it’s SUPPOSED to be this way! Here are the facts: Scott Boras does NOT give in during negotiations. Not an iota. Peter Angelos does NOT give in during negotiations. HE MUST WIN EVERY BATTLE! His entire LIFE STORY as the owner of our baseball team has been that he’s

A very impressive night for the purple

Nestor Aparicio

WOW…my first Ravens "in season" blog…and we’ve even done better — the debut of my wnsTV "travelblog" (rhymes with travelogue)… I could write and describe for you everything I thought about last night’s game vs. the Eagles… OR… I could go on the radio for four hours today and tell you what I saw and heard last night at M&T Bank Stadium… OR… You could just go to my video "travelblog" on wnsTV… Wanna know what my eyes saw last night? It’s all there… A new season, a new medium, some new ideas… I’m really enjoying shooting stuff for wnsTV…and I’m REALLY proud of my work. We’re showing you stuff that you will see NOWHERE ELSE! And if you haven’t seen any of the Red Sox videos, check them out as well… And, like I said, it’s a lot of fun to SHOW you what I’m seeing instead of telling you or writing to you! GO RAVENS!!! Give us a season that was like last night!!! (Except for that Ray Lewis whiff on the sack!)

Harry Shriver helped build WNST

Nestor Aparicio

I found out via a text at 9:44 a.m. yesterday, but I couldn’t find anyone who could confirm the news that Harry Shriver died on Saturday. This morning, more media outlets are reporting of his passing at the age of 74. There is no person in this market who is MORE responsible for the existence of WNST.net and AM 1570 than Harry Shriver. Harry was the guru of "Oriole Magic," a sweet-yet-crusty old bird himself, who married radio, sports, marketing, a baseball team and a song into a civic Renaissance that made Baltimore a baseball town in the late 1970’s. You’ll be able to read plenty over the next day or two about what he did profesionally at WFBR — he hired Jon Miller, as an example, and he also threw Charlie Eckman off the air one night for being drunk on the air. (I have the tape…it might be one of the funniest 15 minutes in the history of Baltimore radio!) What you might not know is how much of an impact Harry had on me in the mid-1990’s, when I was finding my way as a Dundalk guy doing sports radio on the AM band. This was when

Random Thoughts…

Nestor Aparicio

Been a few days since I’ve blogged… So, in no particular order: * I really had a great time on

FREE THE BIRDS 2 UPDATE…

Nestor Aparicio

As you can imagine, putting together Free The Birds 2 has been very interesting. It’s hard to find support for

Baseball tonight…

Nestor Aparicio

So with Free The Birds on my brain and baseball on my mind, my wife and I settled in to

Watching the NFL on TV…

Nestor Aparicio

I spent the first half of the 1 p.m. games at a local watering hole, enjoying several of the NFL

Who will save the Orioles?

Nestor Aparicio

So, here we go again. New manager, new general manager, new lies that the ownership is selling us — but

Tales from couch…

Nestor Aparicio

Billick just called off the dogs… I’m gonna watch the second half sans blogosphere! If you really wanna read this

I stayed home tonight…

Nestor Aparicio

Believe it or not, I had two tickets to the ORIOLES game tonight…and was actually gonna go…until Mother Nature got

Paris and Dundalk…

Nestor Aparicio

I’m not sure if this is a "fake" or not… I’ve NEVER seen this shirt, obviously a "spoof" of Disneyland

A video bet…

Nestor Aparicio

During our weekly sales meeting today, we captured a future bit on wnsTV when Drew Forrester STARTED our meeting by

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